My best friend 9/15/1998-12/19/2014

On Friday the 19th of December I had to lay to rest my best friend, aside from my wife and son, and the only employee I ever had. Nikki found me when she was about 11 weeks old the week of Thanksgiving in 1998. I had just dropped our son off at school and took a different street home as I needed to put gas in the truck. As I drove down the road, I spotted an adorable little puppy just off the road all by her lonesome. I gave a little whistle and she came bounding over  and hopped in to the truck, sniffed about for a minute or two and promptly curled up for a nap. We put an ad in the paper, but nobody came forward to claim her, so an extraordinary, 16+ year relationship was born.

Nikki loved to go for a morning walk, stopping every 5 or 6 feet and sniffing at the shrubs or just the ground and catching up on all the activity in the neighborhood. After the walk she loved to wander the nursery, rooting out packrats and chasing after rabbits, and after wearing herself out, she would dig out a comfortable spot on the soil pile resting up for more varmint chasing. It is difficult to watch a beloved pet age, and I think we don’t really realize the physical changes they go through until we look at pictures from early on. Nikki had no quit in her , and although her spirit was willing to go on, her body just could not keep up. Making the decision and then carrying through with the process of holding her head in my lap while our longtime vet administered the sedative, and then finally the injection to put Nikki to rest was the most heart wrenching experience I have ever had. I am hoping that writing a bit about her and putting up some pictures serves to be therapeutic for me. Thank you for indulging me on this one.

 

Who could resist that adorable face?

Who could resist that adorable face?

 

nikki on the grass

One of Nikki’s favorite pastimes.

 

She had the funniest ears.

She had the funniest ears.

 

nikki the gardener 02

She was very proud of her gardening skills.

She was very proud of her gardening skills.

 

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Sixteen and three months.

12182014 09

 

Her bright eyes and smile were ever present.

Her bright eyes and smile were ever present.

 

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We had 16+ special years together that I will cherish forever.

Run free my sweet girl and have fun playing with all the other dogs. Your spirit lives on in my heart.

Nikki 9/15/1998-12/19/2014

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11 Comments

  1. Monique Reuter December 23, 2014

    I am so sorry. I know what it feels like to loose a pet like her. We had our Aspen who was everything to us. I have never found another cat to compare to him and probably never will. It is hard but treasure the time you had with her and know it gets better as time goes by.

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  2. Chris Ducsai January 6, 2015

    Greg, here’s the quote I told you about. I read and re-read it many, many times after Lexie passed away.

    We who choose to surround ourselves with lives even more temporary than our own live within a fragile circle, easily and often breached. Unable to accept its awful gaps, we still would live no other way. We cherish memory as the only certain immortality, never fully understanding the necessary plan. Irving Townsend

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  3. Martin January 6, 2015

    I am so sorry for your lost Greg. I know how much you loved her. Martin

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  4. Scott Calhoun January 9, 2015

    Greg, Nikki was a great dog and I hope you can find some solace in the fact that you and Carol gave her a good life. I’m sorry for your loss. I’ll miss seeing the old girl around the nursery.

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  5. Greg January 9, 2015

    Thank you for the nice comments everybody. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about Nikki and how much she meant to me. I hope she is running wild and crazy, playing with other dogs and finding all the best sniffs.

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  6. Susan B January 14, 2015

    I’m so sorry to hear about Nikki, but it sounds like she had a wonderful life, a life you probably saved when you found her. It’s just not fair that such loyal and loveable furry family members have such short lives.

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  7. Tin Vuong January 17, 2015

    greg … i am so sorry for your loss. it breaks my heart to hear your story and i too have had to endure the same at one time. we live to love and it is always a sad tale that we usually out live our companions but remember we will never out love them. her soul radiates through your images and any pet lover can see that she lived a happy and fulfilled life with you and your family.

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  8. Charles Williams January 21, 2015

    i dread the day I will lose my dog Echo. She is the light for me.

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  9. Jim Elliott April 1, 2015

    Greg
    I have been lucky to live with great dogs for 70+ years and the highs still outnumber the lows. Nikki is probably cheering for you to find another dog to share your life. Dogs are much better than humans in that way. I will miss her unbounded enthusiasm when I back our trailer into your nirvana. I suspect she is running amok with our departed friends in dog heaven.

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    • Greg April 13, 2015

      Thank you for the kind words Jim. I look forward to catching up with you and Elektra.

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  10. Katie Young, Gardening Succs May 3, 2015

    This post brought tears to my eyes. A year ago next week, I laid to rest my own canine soulmate. I miss her every day. She was my gardening companion, my confidante, and the best friend a gal could ever have. Thanks for sharing this post. <3

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